Internal-combustion engine.



L. s. IIINKs. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAYZB. 1918- 1,294,102. Patented Feb. 11, 1919,

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L. S HINKS.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLlCATiGN FILED MAY 28. 191B.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

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INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED, 'MAY 28. 1918. 1,294, 1 O2. Patented Feb. 11, 1919. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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LEONARD STANLEY HINKS, or KNOWLE, ENGLAND.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Application filed May 28, 1918. Serial No. 237,117.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD STANLEY HI Ks, subject of the Kin of Great Britain,

outer explosion ring-like cylinder permanently closed to each other at their rear ends so that their explosion chambers at sa1d rear endsare quite independent. Said cylinders are concentrically arranged. Two sets of valves are provided for admission and exhaust, one set to each cylinder. An exploslon piston is fitted to each cylinder, the outer one being a ring-like piston. By a common connecting rod both pistons are coupled to the same crank shaft.- The cycle of operations combined with the construction, aforesaid, is that the pistons alternately make power strokes, the engine therefore giving an impulse for each revolution of the crank shaft.

The invention is represented by the accompanying sheets of drawings which show an air'cooled engine.

Figure 1 is a vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the upper end of Flg. 1.

Fig. 3 is vertical sectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 1.

Within-the one casing, a, is provided an inner cylinder, a and an outer cylinder, a

whose respective rear ends provide explosion chambers, a, a These cylinders are concentric and open to each other within the front a of the casing, but are'closed to each other at the rear ends so that there is no communication whatever between the two explosion chambers, a, a The inner cylinder, a is an ordinary one, but the outer cylinder, a is of ring or annular formation.

The explosion chamber, 00*, extends upwardly beyond the explosion chamber a for more eflicient cooling of said cylinder.

The front end a of the casing a fits within thecrank case :0 at the part 0 to which crank case the cylinder casing is securely bolted in substantially the ordinary way.

7 Independent sparking plugs are fitted to the explosion chambers, 00*, a the screw threaded holeto receive one of them being represented at y in Fig. 1.

Vithin the cylinder a works a piston e coupled at e to the crank of the crank shaft 6 by a connecting rod 7, which, at 7, engages the gudgeon pin of said piston in the ordinary manner.

Rigidly attached to a flange e at the forward end of the piston e is the forward end 9 of an annular or ring-like piston, g, fitted to work within the cylinder (L This piston is fitted with double setsof rings, 9 so as to make gas-tight joint with both outer and inner concentric surfaces, a, M, of the outer cylinder 0?- Both pistons e and g, by being coupled at e, constitute, in effect, a single piston member having two piston portions but adapted to reciprocate as one piece, the common connecting rod 7 connecting said piston member as a whole to the crank shaft 6 The effective areas of the'ends' of the pistons e and g are equal, as also are the areas of the explosion chambers a a which are separately fed and exhausted by two sets of valves, h, 7L2, and 2', i Said valves h, h and i, i operate in valve pockets formed in the casing a and communicating with the explosion chambers a and a respectively. The inner cylinder a and inner piston e extend upwardly or outwardly beyond the outer cylinder a and outer piston 9 (see Figs. 1 and 2), and the communicating valve pockets are correspondingly positioned, so that, while all of the valve pockets are located adjacent one another, the pockets for the valves 2', i are offset longitudinally of the cylinders from the pockets for the valves h, if, as shown in Fig. 3, the pockets of the two sets being also laterally ofi'set, as shown in Fig. 2. v

The construction and operation of said valves are well known, but it may be pointed out that if is an inlet valve to the explosion chamber a, and h is an exhaust valve from said chamber leading to the exhaust outlet h while 2' is an inlet valve to the explosion chamber a and i is an exhaust valve from said chamber, which two sets of valves are timed for lifting by the cams j and m by any convenient timing gear driven from the crank shaft 6 to drive the cam shafts 7' m Said valves are automatically closed by pressure of coiled springs encircling the respectivevalve stems between abutments in the usual way but not shown'in the drawings, it being sufficient for the purpose of the invention to indicate that two sets of independent valves suitably timed and operated are provided one set for each cylinder to give the necessary cycle of operations which is as follows Whlle the 1nner piston 6 makes its power stroke the outer piston g 15 making its suction stroke: while said inner piston exhausts the outer piston compresses: while the inner p ston makes its suctlon stroke the outer piston makes its power stroke, and whlle the inner piston compresses the outer piston exhausts.

For the purpose of lifting the valves, 7a h from the cams j, j, the usual lifting rods 72%, h are provided, working through sleeves h 7L7 fitted to the crank case a2, and it is to be understood that two similar rods and sleeves are fitted to the crank case to work the valves 2' i from the cams m m, all of which features are well known in gas engine practice.

For purposes of lubricating the two pistons e and g from the crank case x, the pis ton e is slotted at s, and the piston g is drilled through with a number of holes such as 8 which holes lead from a ring groove, 8

.in said piston to a ring-like oil cup or pocket 8 provided by the lower part of the space between the two pistons, into which cup or pocket the dividing wall, 8 between the two cylinders dips each time the pistons move rearwardly, with the object of facilitating a splashing of lubricant upwardly within the inner cylinder a To aid splashing in piston is wholly within the outer piston.

Notwithstanding, however, the rearward ex- .tension of the inner piston, the latter is adequately lubricated from the crank case, through the slots 8, holes .9 ring groove 8 and oil cup 8 by the splash action of the dividing wall 8 Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is 1. internal combustion engine comprising an inner cylinder, an outer annular cylinder surrounding said inner cylinder, a plston member having a plston port1on in each of said cylinders, sa1d piston member having an oil pocket-between said piston portions and an oil opening communicating with said pocket, the lower edge. of the dividing wall between said cylinders entering said pocket, a crank case adapted to contain lubricant and with which the opening in said piston communicates, a piston rod connected to said piston member, and a crank shaft journaled in said crank case and having provision for splashing lubricant from said crank caseupon said piston member.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising an inner cylinder, an outer annular cylinder surrounding saidinner cylinder, a piston member having a piston portion in each of said cylinders, said inner cylinder and the piston portion therein extending beyond the outer cylinder and piston portion, said piston member having an oil pocket between said piston portions and an oil opening communicating with said pocket, the lower edge of the dividing wall between said cylinders entering said pocket, a crank case adapted to contain lubricant and with which the opening in said piston communi cates, a piston rod connected to said piston member, and a crank shaft journaled in said crank case and having provision for splashing lubricant from said crank case upon said piston member. p

3. An internal combustion engine comprising an inner cylinder, an outer annular cylinder surrounding said inner cylinder, a piston member having a pistonportion in each of, said cylinders, said piston member having an oil pocket'between said piston portions, the inner piston portion having slots communicating with said pocket, the outer piston portion having an exterior ring groove and an opening leading from "'said groove to said pocket, and the lower edge of the dividing wall between said cylinders entering said pocket, a crank case adapted to contain lubricant, api'ston rod connected to said piston member, and a crank shaft journaled in said crank case and having provision for splashing lubricant from said crank case upon said piston member.

, 4. An internal combustion engine comprising aninner cylinder, an outer annular cylinder surrounding said inner cylinder, a piston member having a piston portion in each of said cylinders, said inner cylinder "and the pistonportion therein extending beyond the outer cylinder andpiston'portion, said piston member having an oil pocket between said piston portions, theinner piston portion having slots communicating with said pocket, the outer piston portionhaving an exterior ring groove and an opening lead- "ing from said groove to said pocket, and the lower edge of the dividing wall between said cylinders entering said pocket, a crank case In testimony whereof I havehereunto set adapted to contaln lubrlcant, a p1ston rod my band 111 presence of two subscrlbing W1tconnected to said plston member, and a nesses.

crank shaft journaled in said crank case and LEONARD STANLEY HINKS. having provision for splashing lubricant Witnesses:

from said crank case upon said piston GEO. FUERY,

member. D. LEAKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D 0. 

